While the grand final concept has been a constant subject of debate, there is no arguing that the occasion has produced some of the best contests of the A-League era.
With many clubs operating out of stadiums that are too big for their profile, it provides a rare chance to see a sold out crowd decked out in their team colours. In a two-part series, Outside90’s James Caughlin ranks the 10 grand finals we have seen so far.
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10. Season 10: Melbourne Victory 3 Sydney FC 0 at AAMI Park, Sunday May 17 2015
No accusations of recency bias in this list as the first grand final to get a mention is last season’s decider. The first memory is how it was forced into AAMI Park after the game was pushed back a week earlier in the season. While it would have been nice to see it at a sold out Etihad, the noise around the smaller stadium made up for the reduced crowd. Unfortunately for the viewers, it was a one-sided contest that never really seemed in doubt. From the outset the Victory were in the ascendancy and Sydney never got going. As the best team in the league throughout season 10, Melbourne Victory got their deserved title but it was a shame that it was not like the other Big Blue Grand Final, not that their fans complained.
9. Season 1: Sydney FC 1 Central Coast Mariners 0 at Sydney Football Stadium, Sunday March 5, 2006
The first time is always always memorable and in the case of the A-League, the first grand final was a nice spectacle but a relatively scrappy game. The self anointed glamour club with the former Premier League striker were the first to get their names on the championship trophy. Steve Corica had the decisive strike just after an hour, assisted by the big name forward Dwight Yorke and the sold out SFS made people think that maybe this competition had some staying power.
8. Season 8: Central Coast Mariners 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 0 at Allianz Stadium, Sunday April 21, 2013
This year we will see a teams that have failed at the final hurdle in the past, but the small club from Gosford finally get over the line at their third attempt back in 2013. It was a case of the little engine that could against Cinderella as both sides were looking to complete their own storybook season, but only one could have a happy ending. The Wanderers debut campaign was already a success having won the Premiers Plate, yet they could not get by the Mariners on the final day after a Patrick Zwaanswijk header just before halftime and a Daniel McBreen penalty. With the heartbreak of their previous two attempts, the relief was evident at fulltime and right up to the the final whistle Graham Arnold looked very nervous that the Wanderers might manage a comeback. Since then they have gone off a cliff of sorts, but it was a worthy reward after years of missed opportunities.
7. Season 4: Melbourne Victory 1 Adelaide United 0 at Telstra Dome, Saturday February 28, 2009
Adelaide will be happy that Sunday’s game is not at the Docklands facility as their two grand final visits there ended badly. While they conceded significantly fewer goals than the game two years earlier, they were once again forced onto the back-foot due to an early red card. Striker Cristiano was dismissed 10 minutes into the contest and the Victory took over a fairly scrappy and heated encounter. Tom Pondeljak scored an ugly goal in the 60th minute that would prove the winner in this contest. Player parity was restored soon after that as Danny Alsopp was shown a red card, but as they were missing their striker, Adelaide could not get past Michael Theoklitos and the Victory became the first team with two championships.
6. Season 3: Newcastle Jets 1 Central Coast Mariners 0 at Sydney Football Stadium, Sunday February 24, 2008
A wild ending saw Danny Vukovic do something completely out of character and lose his mind after the Mariners were denied a penalty in a late goalmouth scramble. His childish reaction to smack the arm of referee Mark Shield saw him subsequently banned for nine months and miss the Beijing Olympics. It was a case of revenge for the Jets, as they were run down by the Mariners in the major semi-final despite having a 2-0 lead after the first leg. Mark Bridge scored the lone goal, capitalising on a slip by Tony Vidmar allowing the Jets to claim the F3 Grand Final and the only championship decider to be decided away from either side’s home base.
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